Cylindrical canisters provide advantages for storing and transporting pressurized gases and liquids due to their inherent ability to withstand internal pressure loadings. In some applications it may be desirable for heat energy to be transferred through the canister wall to or from the contents of the canister. By way of example only, such canisters can be used to store and transport a gas, such as ammonia, that is adsorbed onto the surfaces of a solid metal chloride contained within the canister. Typically such a chemical adsorption reaction is either endothermic (requiring the addition of heat in order to proceed isothermally) or exothermic (requiring the removal of heat in order to proceed isothermally). Likewise, the corresponding desorption reaction will be exothermic if the adsorption reaction is endothermic, and vice versa. By allowing heat energy to readily transfer through the canister walls, the gas can be advantageously adsorbed or desorbed as desired through the addition or removal of heat.
The efficient transfer of heat energy to or from the surface of the canister requires that good thermal contact be maintained between the heat source/sink and the canister surface. This can be complicated by variations in the cylindrical canister surface, as may be the result of wear, manufacturing tolerances, deformation due to pressure cycling, and other factors. As a further complication, it is sometimes desirable to allow for easy replacement of the cylindrical canisters, thus necessitating the ability to at least temporarily remove the contact pressure that may be used to ensure the aforementioned good thermal contact between the canister and the heat source/sink.